Charges filed in Hennepin County District Court on Tuesday reveal details about the arrest of Minnesota Vikings safety Jayron Kearse over the weekend.
Kearse, 25, was arrested early Sunday morning in Minneapolis for driving drunk and carrying a gun without a permit. A criminal complaint details the incident, saying Kearse was in possession of a loaded handgun and driving intoxicated with two passengers in the car.
The former Clemson Tiger star safety now faces a gross misdemeanor charge for carrying a gun without a permit, in addition to four misdemeanor charges, including possession of a gun while under the influence of alcohol, drunken driving (two counts) and careless driving.
Kearse was stopped by a state trooper around 3:15 a.m. after he drove a Mercedes Benz around a construction barrier on Interstate 94 near Cedar Ave. in Minneapolis. The trooper observed Kearse to have had “bloodshot and glossy” eyes along with a “very strong odor of alcohol” coming from inside the car.
Kearse failed a preliminary breath test at the scene, with an additional breath test at 4:44 a.m. registering above the legal limit at 0.10 percent. Kearse was interviewed by police and admitted to having four drinks at the Gold Room in Minneapolis.
The criminal complaint also detailed a male passenger in the car who was throwing up from intoxication at the scene. An officer that checked on the man found the 9-millimeter Glock handgun by his feet.
Kearse later told police that he put the gun under the rear passenger seat and that he carried it “for protection,” the complaint says.
“First and foremost I would like to apologize publicly to the team, to the fans, for my actions over this past weekend,” Kearse said Monday. “It’s not a reflection of who I am as a person, or what this organization stands for. The team and these fans deserve better. I definitely take this matter very seriously and I’m sorry for putting anybody in harm’s way. I’ll go through all the necessary steps to improve myself.”
It’s unclear if Kearse will play Sunday when the Vikings face the Kansas City Chiefs. The NFL typically allows legal processes to conclude before punishing players, so any immediate punishment would likely have to come from the Vikings.
